See the giant Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, enjoy a pantomime or Christmas concert, and marvel at London’s famous Christmas lights.

Celebrate Christmas in London

London acquires a special sparkle around Christmas time. The weather is frosty, the Christmas lights are twinkling, and shoppers line the streets.

The centrepiece of London’s Christmas spectacle is the giant pine tree – a gift to London from the people of Norway – which is beautifully adorned and set up in Trafalgar Square each year.

On Christmas Day, London’s hundreds of Christian churches, chapels and cathedrals hold Christmas services, which everyone is welcome to attend.

Holidays and Closures over Christmas

Christmas Day (25 December) and Boxing Day (26 December) are the one time of the year when London feels quiet.

There is no public transport on Christmas Day. There’s a reduced service on Boxing Day and Christmas bank holidays, which fall on 26 and 27 December in 2012.

Most London attractions and shops and many restaurants are closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Christmas in London

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

Hyde Park goes all Christmassy with the sparkly additions of rides and attractions including a Giant Observation Wheel and two circuses – ‘Christmas Circus’ and ‘Cirque Berserk’ – from the family-friendly Zippos Circus.

Winter Wonderland’s ice rink, the biggest outdoor rink in the UK, surrounds the Victorian bandstand and is illuminated with more than 100,000 lights. While most activities are ticketed, it’s worth noting that entry to the site, including Santa Land and the Christmas Market is free and an after-dark stroll is surprisingly atmospheric.

If temperatures plummet and you need to defrost, there’s rustic revelry on offer around open fires, with hot cider, mulled wine and food for sale. If you’re skating, be aware that while there’s no minimum age for skaters, under-12s must be accompanied and the smallest skates for hire are children’s size 9 (adult skates go up to size 13).

You can use your own skates as long as they’re not speed skates. Wheelchair users are welcome on the ice. There are also ice guides who can look after groups of up to 15 skaters at a time (for an additional charge).

New this year is The Magical Ice Kingdom experience, which is sculpted from 200 tonnes of ice and snow and gives the visitors the chance to explore frozen pathways and an ice forest to discover sculptures and characters in themed rooms – you can take a seat in a unicorn-pulled carriage, dare to approach the ice dragon’s lair or meet the ice queen in her throne room.

New York City becomes a winter wonderland during the holidays: snow blankets the streets of Manhattan; crowds ”ooh” and “aah” at the exquisite Christmas window displays adorning the stores along Fifth Avenue; ice skaters glide across the Rockefeller Center Skating Rink as the Rockefeller Christmas tree glows beneath the New York skyline.

Even though New York City is one of the biggest and best holiday destinations in the world, you don’t have to choose between buying Christmas presents for the family or taking them on a holiday vacation to NYC.

We’ve put together an NYC Christmas Guide with some of the most fun and memorable New York holiday activities that won’t break the bank, so you can do your Xmas shopping andexperience the magic of Christmastime in New York City.

If you want to spend Christmas on vacation this year at a far distant land within the lap of nature Mississippi is the best place for you to consider. If you are a person that has a nourishing interest for boating, fishing, water paddling, or just relaxing on the riverbanks then Mississippi has something adventurous for everyone. Christmas vacations in Mississippi are a simple source of wonderful attractions throughout the United States. With all the natural beauty and happiness, you can enjoy that peaceful Christmas vacation.

There is a lot of outstanding and amazing beauty of the country attractions in Mississippi that brings tourists from all over the world. The Christmas vacations in Mississippi offer you fresh air so that you will be able to breathe far away from all the bustle of your daily lifestyles. With huge cypress trees, enormous bluffs, and the abundant wildlife, you can add variety to this attraction. The capital city of Mississippi is Jackson. It is the largest city in the beginning and by far is it the most modern developed section of the city. With all the aesthetic beauty of Christmas, every place that you visit in Mississippi will be attracting several tourists.

For several people that live in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas is considered a winter holiday. The chilly, possibly snowy, is great weather for some hot chocolate or even a cup of hot apple cider. There is nothing like a wonderful white Christmas but with the Christmas vacations in Hawaii this tropical vacation could be really a blast.

If you are considering Christmas vacations in Hawaii, brace yourself for all the festive parades, decorative lights, and do not forget all the great shopping! In Hawaii, you will not have to worry about all the bad weather, getting frostbite or those havoc wreaks on the streets. You might still experience all the traffic, crowds, and the best entertainment but what will you care you are in Hawaii for Christmas! Do not worry about Santa Clause not being able to find you. You will be enjoying everything here and be able to relax. Santa makes his way to the islands too; when he gets to Hawaii, he takes off his boots and puts on his flip-flops just like everyone else.